Artificial cork and method of making the same.



characteristics of cork so in UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSE SERRA (Y CARBO), OF ,BARCELONA, SPAIN, ASSIGNOR TO HARVEY COALE, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ARTIFICIAL CORK AND METHOD bF' MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed April 17, 1906. Serial No. 312,260.

To all. (uh/0m) it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J osn SERRA (Y CARB),

a subject of the King of Spain, residing in to the defects found in it resulting from the.

presence and propagation of insectlife at tacking the trees or from climatic or other conditions.

'So far as I am aware, no substitute material has ever been found to take the place of cork, as it is practically impossible to produce a composition havin thepeculiar. ispensable in most, if not all, situations where cork is commonly used.

' From one cause or another (as is well known in cork-producin countries) it"happens that it is impossi 1e to find among thousands of pieces of cork apiece of anyconsiderable size which does not 'show .defects of one kind or another. These defects develop during the long period of growth (about ten years) necessary to roduce the cork in the best condition, and t is ex lains a the scarcity of fine cork andthe fact t .at it is found. in comparatively small pieces, it being necessa to divide out the portions of the fine cor: from the defective material.

This results in a great amount of waste as the industry is now carried on, and] have aimed to utilize all of this valuable cork material instead of taking from the raw material selected, portions, thus reducing the cost of the finished'product and at the same time taking advantage, of the qualities of the cork by'utilizin it as the body of my improved product.

it y invention consists lri'reducing the cork to a finely-divided condition of granular, =-form, treating the' granules to separate them mechanically andfcliemicaltylilfrom the dariir,

aged or defective arts, and

the granules'by'd; e' use of a and by form 'for utilization as a perfect product, free ally combining suitable binder twater acidulated-with sul this treatment the cork granules may be col the mold is opened, and in consequence ofhavpressure and heat into a convenient from defect and interstices and practically non-porous. I reduce the cork to a granular form by any suitable mechanical means, and in carrying out my invention I utilize not only. the ordinary waste material, but verymuch ofthe I material which ordinarily appears of too poor a uality to be utilized for any purpose. After t e proper reduction of the cork' to granular form I subject it to treatment, so as to remove the damaged or impure parts, accomplishing this 'by placin the cork-dust in iiric acid. After lected and in a like manner subjected to other liquids suitable for bleachin the alfules. After the cork granulesr ave een 7o purified and bleached Ithen mix with the granules a solution of albumen. The material is-then put in molds and its bulk reduced by pressure, after which the molds are submitted to a temperature of about 212 Fahrenheit ina moist heat either by introducing it in boiling water or by subjecting it to a jet of steam in order to coagulate thealbumen. After this has been completely accomplished mg retained Within its pores the moisture due tothe subjection of the mold to the moist heat the albumen forms a texture of a very fine fiber, thus acting as a rnost efiicient binder, but resulting as well in producingamaterial 8.5 of eater e asticity even than the natural cor and with none of the disadvant es of the natural material. The moist con ition of the material permits it" to be cut and manufactured as readily as the natural material.

As the binding material after coagulation a is inodorous tasteless, and insoluble, the new product obtained can be used for any of the purposes for-which the natural pork is Used 9 5 and for many more, for the reason that it is practically non-porous and it presents a perfect material, and therefore it does not re-' quire classification and separation, as in the case of the natural product where a higher grade of cork is required for particular purposes. Further than this, the appearance of the product is improved as-a whole, and it-is pure cork with an insignificant addition of a inding material which becomes insoluble, 1o 5 and it shows no holes or interstices on its surtificial cork consisting of a granular base and face, remains always the same in its physical structure, and is brightened very easily, while I secure great economy of manufacture, for the reason that I am enabled to utilize such a large part of the cork material now thrown aside as waste.

It is of the utmost importance that the material be subjected to moist heat, as otherwise the product made' under a high dry temperature will be found to be of a hard nature not suitable for the uses for which corks are intended. When the cork granules are dry and hard, as sometimes occurs when the cork material is inferior, I may use some substance to soften them-as, for instance, glycerin.

I claim- 1. 'As a new article of manufacture, an ara liquid binding materialmixed therewith and renders insoluble therein by heat.

2. An artificial cork material consisting of a granular base of cork and a binding mate-- rial which has been rendered insoluble theresubstantlally as in by heat.

3. An artificial cork composed of finely-divided or granulated cork and a binding material com osedof an albumenous substance;

described.

4. The method of making artificial cork,

. consisting in. taking granulated cork mixmg heat to render the bin therewith a soluble coagulable binding material 'and 'finally subjecting the material to material insoluble. 5. The method of making an artificial cork consisting in taking a pulverized base, mixtherewith abinding material and finally hardening said binding material and render-.

ing it insoluble by heat, substantially as described. 6. The method ofmaking artificial cork,

consisting in taking granulated cork; mixin therewith a coagulable binding material an finally submitting the composition to a moist heat under pressure to render the binding material insoluble.

tially as described.

8. The method of making artificial cork, consistingin taking granulated cork; mixing it with albumen and subjecting the compositioii to moist heat, substantially as described.

9. The method of making artificial cork,

consisting in taking granulated cork; cleansand purifying the same, adding thereto albumen as a binding material, subjecting the composition to pressure and to a moist heat whereby the albumen is coa lated and becomes insoluble, while the pro uct retains all the elasticity and flexibility of the natural material; substantiall as described.

In witness whereof have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSE SERRA (Y CARBO).

Witnesses:

F. L. MIDDLETON,

'MALLDIN SUMMERS. 

